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Re: Words, movies, and music

On Wed, 20 Dec 2000, rhys daily wrote:

> On Tue, 19 Dec 2000, Sherry Pofahl wrote:
> 
> > Sex is not sacred.  By any stretch of the imagination.  It is a gift
> > that--like any other gift--must be enjoyed responsibly.
> 
> aren't gifts from God able to be used as a means of worship?

Sure, but there is nothing that is _inherently_ sacred about sex.  Indeed,
Linford's poem (which I very much liked) compared fucking to a sort of
prayer to God, and I think it certainly can be.  But by no means is
fucking always that.

> 
> > To say that sex is sacred is to say that the body is sacred.  It is
> > not. I'm not an acetic here, but the moment we stop realizing how
> > ironic our existence is--spiritual beings married to our material
> > bodies--the moment we lose sight of the core of life.  I guess I'm not
> > making any sense here, am I?
> 
> it's a temple, which means it should be treated well.
> 

Agreed as well!  But there's a little problem here.  That whole
body-as-temple trips people up a lot, I believe.  The temple does not
denote God, but the _presence_ of the Everlasting.  The body is not
sacred.  In fact, two of my favorite luminaries - C S Lewis and Robert
Anton Wilson - both speak of the body as the husk that our spirits reside
in (Lewis called it 'Brother Ass', Wilson and his friends (Tim
Leary and Phillip Dick and the like) referred to it as 'The Robot').  

This does not mean that they are two seperate entities, but one gets the
sense that the body often gets in the way of our minds and spirits.  They
are both a blessing and limitation.  We should rejoice in our bodies, and
think of them as gifts as well, but there is nothing particularly sacred
about defecating, or eating, or doing anything physical.

For that matter, it's the same with the mind.  Writing this epistle,
listening to music, playing music...there is nothing sacred about
that.  To me, there is nothing inherently sacred about anything, even
closing your eyes, bowing your head, and talking to God, or throwing
yourself in front of a bus.  The only holiness that comes from any of
these actions comes from the attitude in which we approach it with.

If y'all are into the teachings of the Bible (goodness, this must seem
silly to some of you non-Christians out there!), you notice that
throughout the Old and New Testament, God and Her prophets say that the
specifics of worship mean _nothing_ if the attitude isn't right.  There
was nothing holy about char-broiling an ox on the altar!  It was merely a
symbol of what God hoped would be actual, real repentance for what they
had done.  The intent and the attitude is everything.  Frankly, I believe
that God probably finds a person who says 'Praise the Lord!' after taking
a monumental dump at the end of the day to be more pleasing than a couple
who are fucking their brains out just for the hell of it.

> i think worship can be gritty and solid, that it's not all about prayer
> and holy mutterings to the ceiling in the dark, and that some forms of
> worship are not eternal in expression, but in meaning. a man will not stop
> loving his wife when they go to heaven.
> 
> > Do we worship our spouses, and our own ability to procreate--or do we
> > worship God, and His ability to Create?
> 
> the expression of love is found in many ways, and i think that when love
> is expressed properly, it glorifies God. even with sex. it's an expression
> of love (or should be).
> 
Definitely some good answers to Sher's questions.  Thank ye, Rhys.

-Drew J

O Drew Johnson - djohnson at snowplow_org - Ld Robert Bartholomew, Midrealm   )
O ^ ^            Carefree and crude for a long, long time...               X
O(_]_) "Pastrami won't save you this time, Venter..." Diablo,www.goats.com |

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